M

The title of the short film "M" opens the cinematic piece to various interpretations and connotations the audience may relate to. Despite the film having a short run time, the director-writer Victor De Almeida has managed to construct a very gripping narrative and at the same time maintained the combination of horror and mystery, the genres chosen by the filmmaker to work with. The camera department is handled by Alexander Nikolaou. The camera angles, like a close mid-shot of the main character, help the viewers to straight away dive into the storyline. The sound effects and music by Tony Rusch complement the genre of the film. It also provides the necessary boost to the mood of the movie and increases the sense of involvement of the audience with the film. The makeup artist Phoebe Menges keeps the makeup light to suit all the other elements of the film and to ensure that the audience can give their undivided attention to the subject matter of the film. The black and white suit worn by the main lead has connotations of combinations of the various characteristics he possesses. The huge size of the shadow of the main character shown in the film can have connotations of ego, self-pride, and dominance.

The plot of this horror short film deals with a young gentleman who suffers from a mental breakdown after a string of murders. Will he be able to control what is happening to him or fall prey to his mind in the long term is the question the movie raises?

Victor De Almeida has written the movie so brilliantly; the script does not disclose the suspense element of the movie up until the end. The audience gets surprised and the film tends to stay with them. The key to the popularity of the film is its simplicity and to-the-point approach taken by the creative team of the cinematic piece. The editor Emily Russell works on each scene and places them in such a way that the flow of the plot is smooth and does not lose its continuity. The wall bricks, the stairs, the tube light, and the mirror are included in the set design. It helps in establishing the genre as well as the storyline of the film. The masks, bloody knife used in the movie aid the film to move towards the much awaited conclusion of the film. The choice of the actor by the makers for the role of a young person suffering from a mental breakdown is so aptly done. The dialogue delivery, voice modulation the expressions, the way he picks up each every aspect of the character is truly remarkable. The character arc of the protagonist gets the audience to be a part of his journey and at the same time the viewers tends to get scared of him at some point of in the story.

As an audience I feel the addition of subtitles in few interactions between the characters in the film is necessary to enhance the impact of the film on the viewers.